A matter of life and death
by Mach617
Summary: Speed and his pals recover after fainting from the awful heat... Alyssa, his girlfriend, gives birth during the 3-day road rally. Rated T for language/content


"Psst... Speed! You alright there, buddy?" Speed blinked his eyes open as his older brother, X, had made his way into view. "X? What are you doing..." He started to say. But Annalise had already shaken a bucket of cold water onto him. Once the liquid started to drench through his track uniform, there was nothing else to do but let out a startling scream. "Annalise, he was already awake!" Lucy exclaimed. "Oops." Annalise murmured with a smirk. _What a bitch she is! _Lucy retorted inside her head. X placed his hand onto Speed's damp shoulder. "Good to have you back. You were looking pretty bad for a while." He says.

"Oh. Thank God I'm back to normal now.'' Speed replied. He had just gained back conciousness after suddenly falling asleep. The treacherous heat had forced the four of them to faint. It was so humid. It was so hot. And Speed's companion, Alyssa, was going to have his baby at any moment now. "Wait a minute...'' He muttered, a picture of the girl coming to mind. Bright blonde and long locks of hair, luminous deep blue eyes almost like the sea, and that glorious complexion she seemed to carry. Speed thrashed his head from left to right. "Where's Alyssa?'' He blurted out. X lifted a slender finger and pointed at a distant looking figure lying lifelessly on the ground. "I hate to break this to you, bro, but she might have passed away.'' Tears sprang to his eyes as X finished the sentence.

"No...No!" Speed screamed when he stood up. "She can't be! What will I do without her, especially when she's expecting my child?" "Speed, calm down. You don't know that Alyssa's dead for sure just yet.'' Lucy said as she gently sat her hand on his shoulder. He shook away from her grasp. "Calm down? Calm down? How can I calm down when someone I love dearly is about to die?" Speed wailed at his friend. "I can't stand the thought of her, looking down at me with a shiny halo above her head. And she would be...holding a baby in her arms..." Lucy started to step back. "Not just any baby, though. A baby that her and I created ourselves that was never born!" X wrapped his arms around his brother, stroking his hair gently. Speed's mournful sobs brought him to no end of pain and sorrow. "Go to her, Speed." Was all he could seem to say.

Listening to him, Speed drew one arm across his face to dry the fallen tears. He walked slowly over to Alyssa, cautious of every movement he made. Obviously after recovering from his short death, too. Speed was careful not to run too fast. That would result in doubling over once again. He came closer and closer until he could almost feel her feet pressing up against his ankles. Speed knelt down by Alyssa's side, scooping her up into his safe and comforting arms. A fresh wave of tear droplets poured down his cheeks. She looked pale and weak. Her life was rapidly draining out of her body. Dirt was scattered across her fragile frame. "Come on, honey..." He silently quivered. "Don't leave me. Not this close to delivering our baby. Please, Alyssa. Wake up! I'm begging you!" He wailed. But she did not stir. Realizing that the love of his life was gone, Speed gently let Alyssa's body slip from his hands back to the ground.

He drooped his head down to her chest and began to weep, tears plastering his face. A single droplet began to trickle down his cheek. It landed ever so slightly onto Alyssa's chin. He leaned into her face and gently touched his lips to hers. "I love you." Speed whispered. He got back up onto his feet, starting to trudge back to X's arms when suddenly, Alyssa began to cough. Speed dashed for her and knelt down next to her again. "Speed..." She rasped. Alyssa's eyelids slowly lifted up to reveal her truly deep blue eyes. She gave him a small smile and started to sit upright. "Alyssa! You're alive!'' He exclaimed, clutching her in his arms again. Speed covered his girlfriend in kisses all around her face and head. "Oh, Alyssa. Thank God you're okay." He says.

"I know." Alyssa said. Apparently, God had decided to let her soul come back down to Earth. Speed has given her the tear of life. As she noticed her swollen belly below her, a gasp stifled out of her mouth. "What's wrong, honey? Did your water break?" Speed asked. Alyssa shook her head vigorously. "No. It's great that I'm alive, but... what about the baby?" Speed's eyes grew wide. "Oh, no." She scooped the bottom of her belly into her hands, her dark blue eyes flickering towards Speed. "Here, I'll try something." He says. Speed plopped down onto his side, pressing his head against Alyssa's belly. He rested his hand onto the top of her belly, caressing it with soft slow strokes. Alyssa looked up at the pale blue sky and prayed inside her mind: _Please, dear Jesus Christ, heal our unborn baby back to life. I know this was not my intention to create her, but we have fought so hard througout my pregnancy to keep her alive. Let us be able to bring one of your most desired creations into this world. Please. Amen. _

As her prayer was finished, Speed began to whisper to her stomach. "It's alright, sweetie. Daddy's here. You're almost ready to come out. Don't give up on me now. I know you're alive in there. You're a strong, healthy, unborn baby. Come on, sweetie. Talk to Daddy. I promise you me and your mother will take care of you..." Alyssa's mouth drooped open. "...and nurture you so you will grow into a healthy young girl. I know you're okay. I know you're still around. Please, come back to life." She gazed down at Speed once more. As if the baby heard every word that Speed said, sure enough, Alyssa felt a thump on the inside of her belly. The baby kicked! So, that means it was still alive. She moved one of her hands, startled by the sudden movement inside her womb."Did you feel that?" Speed asked her with a smile on his face. "Yes, I did." She returned that same gesture.

"She's alive!" He exclaimed. Alyssa threw her arms around him and they hugged each other tight. The two were glad to know that their beloved child was still breathing. Speed helped Alyssa back onto her feet. She staggered a little, her hips struggling to force her up. To help his girlfriend walk, Speed wrapped an arm around her waist and slowly began to walk towards the others. "I guess the baby's putting a little bit too much pressure on you, isn't she?" he asked. Alyssa gave a slight nod of her head. "I guess so." Lucy made a mad dash for Alyssa, ecstatic to see her friend was okay. The weight she put on Alyssa's shoulders was more than what she could bear. She stumbled backward then hugged Lucy back. "Are you okay?" "Yes, I'm fine." Alyssa conceded.

A wave of relief crashed over her. "Thank God.'' Lucy sighed. Alyssa allowed her friend to rub her hand all over her belly. She stopped Lucy by putting her hand on top of hers. "Yes. The baby's fine, too." Alyssa murmured at her PDA maneuver. "Good." Lucy says, holding her chest to stop her quickly beating heart.


End file.
